Na Wai, Lang Kok

Thailand, Pattaya,
18 Jan. 2011.

Outside in the corridor a verbal fight is in full swing, judging by the high pitched voice of one combatant I would say a Khatoy, the other probably belonging to a elderly German male speaking poor English and refusing to pay the 500 Baht shorttime on the grounds of being dissatified with sexual services rendered...

Outside in the Soi I can hear a party going on in the beer bar next door, raucous Englsih lagerlouds, drunk on numerous bottles of Thai beer, singing along with Dolly Parton, the giggles of bar girls probably equally smashed outof the Isan heads on ladies drinks, sing along but as badly out of tune as the English males who will probably take them home tonight, pay their bar fees and a couple of big bottles of Chang from the 7/Eleven at the end of the road on the way to their hotel rooms, maybe a Viagra pill already bought subscripsion free from the Soi's farmacy in the pocket of their shorts...

I feel unable to give in to the tender arms of Lord Morpheus, the God of the dream world though my visitors don't seem to suffer from my bouts of insomnia despite the growing verbal discussion outside, despite Dolly Parton next door and her devotees of falsetto intoxicated Bravados...Miss Jiff deep asleep in a feutus position next to me, her friend Miss Ang who Waiied me profusely when entering my room, snoring happily on my army green sleeping bag on the stone floor next to my double bed...

Sitting outside on my balcony enjoying a glass of Mhekong brought along by Jiff and her Buriram lady friend, ice and a shot of Coca Cola added, a few cubes of ice to make it glide my Farang throat a bit easier, I ponder my Farang excistence in this strange Asian Kingdom, as I have done countless times before, with my room more aften than not a gathering place for under-educated ladies of the night, Hot Asian Mommas who feel unwilling to sleep on the beach due to being customer negative...

Wondering if Miss Ang's Wai was one of genuine gratitude or full with contempt for this Ting-Tong ameteur artist from the Rich West..even today, after all these years of coming to King Bhumipol's Asian Realm, I still have a hard time understanding the Thai concept of Na Wai, Lang Lok...smile in the Farang's face while really thinking Mhaa Khee, shit of the dog!!!

In the past I have travelled to quite a few tropical countries, got to learn the local Lingo, get to scratch the cultural and social surfaces, but nothing like Thailand and its inscrutable population, the more I dig the more difficult they get to become to my poor Farang gray colored brain mass...

The whisky finished, the Khatoy heading down the stairs with his precious 500 Baht shorttime leaving a swearing German customer behind, English lagerlouds staggering back to their hotels, supported down the Soi by semi-drunk bar girls wondering how much money their Farang dates will pay them in the morning, I return to my room finding Miss Ang  has upgraded her place on the floor to my side of the double bed...I guess my old sleeping bag and me are old buddies after all!!!